Dawn of Nemesis
by ghostleaf
Summary: Youkai have taken over the world. Sesshoumaru is searching for Kagome, whom he holds fatherly feelings for due to a chance meeting when she was a child. She and Miroku head the army aiming for his defeat.
1. The Takeover and Sesshoumaru

One of my first attempts at seriousness, so please bear with me.  
  
Rating: R, let's say, although the rating may not go up so far until later in the story. Pairings: Wherever my whims take me. Ultimately: Sess/Kag Summary: HA! Like I've thought that far yet! But something along the lines of Kagome being a sort of freedom fighter in a world oppressed by Youkai. You've heard it before, blah, blah, blah.  
  
NOTE!!!: the Prologue and Chapter one are in the same chapter!  
  
I own not InuYasha nor it's illustrious characters, you cretins.  
  
Prologue: The Takeover and Sesshoumaru.  
  
It was a matter of days. For all the Youkai had planned under our noses, for all our military forces, for all that we've DONE for the ungrateful beasts, Takeover was within the hour.  
  
The Youkai Districts, which once upon a time had been carefully planned works of art, had fallen into disrepair when the invasion of the aliens from Wherever-the-Hell-They're-From started. A human that was just passing through the Districts probably would have gasped, wide-eyed, at the crumbling buildings, the graffiti, and the countless Youkai gangs that loitered as murderously as they dared on street corners. This human would look for an officer of the law, scanning the streets, parks, or hell, maybe the local donut shops. Had there been one, I'm sure she would have complained.  
  
She would mention the sorry state of affairs at the next couple of high-end cocktail parties, and vow on her Righteousness as a Moral Human Being that she would go to any lengths necessary to put an end to this! A few friends would chime in, shoot a few glares at the person next to the punch bowl who was tentatively trying to change the subject.  
  
Over the next few days, however, things would blow over. Because, frankly, nobody messed with the Government, especially if they were keen on seeing their beloved Fido again. This included high-bred women of the Cocktail Parties, who were, of course, absolutely suffering inside.  
  
And the Districts became more and more unruly, the daily upsets hidden more and more frequently and with stunning intelligence. And suddenly, the Districts weren't any damn good anymore. Not when the Youkai could have the world.  
  
At the beginning of Takeover, I encountered my first Youkai ever. I was ten years old; I've had my birthday since then. I recall the conversation with a strange clarity:  
  
I walk down the street of our Downtown, my mind on nothing but the mother in front of me which I couldn't lose sight of, and the brand-new Barbie doll promised at the end of our expedition. Suddenly, I look up and my mom isn't there anymore. I'm frantic, I run crying up and down the street, and eventually end up on a less-trafficked side street. I see the endless flow of people just twenty feet away, walking down Main, oblivious to my plight. I was a spoiled child; having somebody not notice me was unheard of!  
  
My seed of anger is squashed by my growing despair. I lower my head to my knees and hook my arms under my thighs and cry. I don't care that the bottom of my dress is getting dirty from the stoop I sit on, or that at some point in my mad run I had lost a shoe. My waist-length hair grazes the ground, sweeps my tears across the step below me. I close my eyes briefly, only to open them to exquisitely embroidered shoes that seemed to be made completely of...cloth?  
  
Startled, I look up, and hastily swipe away the tear-burned trails I can feel on my cheeks. A man of about twenty or so, with long white hair and golden eyes, is standing at the bottom of the stoop, looking at me with a depressing amount of apathy. I bite my lip to keep from sniveling. He has stripes on his cheeks and a crescent moon on his forehead, tattooed obviously. There are stripes on his wrists as well, and he has grown out and filed his nails to a point.  
  
He wears a white kimono with embroidery of a dizzying caliber. Sakura blossoms of red seem to flow from the clothing itself, and his sash is yellow and blue. I see my reflection in his eyes: a girl of a young age, with a dirty pink dress, torn white stockings, and one black shoe, the toe scuffed. In her haste to wipe away her tears, her hand left a dirt smudge on one cheek, and her blue-gray eyes are narrowed slightly in self-pity, fear, and tears. Her wavy hair is mussed, and the pink bow that held it from her eyes is barely hanging on.  
  
Ashamed, I lower my face, both so he cannot see it and I can't either in his terrible, terrible eyes.  
  
A clawed hand - I realized on contact that they were, indeed, claws - catches my chin just after I take in the long, fluffy tail that drags behind him. A Youkai? I had never encountered one before.  
  
He lifts my chin so I meet his eyes, and he speaks... his voice is low, smooth, comforting as the silkiness of a rose petal.  
  
"What is your name?" It isn't just a question, somehow, but I don't get why.  
  
I swallow, and I can tell by the way his eyes flicker to my throat that his hand felt it.  
  
"Ka...Kagome. What's yours?" I ask bravely.  
  
Something like surprise in his eyes. "I am Sesshoumaru. Where is your mother?" His voice is toneless, I can't read his emotions or his motives, but he has to be kind. He's my only hope.  
  
I break down, cry again. I grab hold of his wrist and hold it to my cheek, because I think if I don't, he will go away and leave me here. His hand stiffens for a second, again, seemingly with surprise - I can't tell because tears have sealed my eyes shut - but his claws curl against my cheek almost affectionately, and my tears fall and break apart on his wrist. "I don't know. She was there and then she wasn't!" I sobbed, and he had to ask me to repeat it. I repeated it several times before it became intelligible, and by then he was sitting and I was on his lap, my fingers digging into his kimono and my face pressed against his chest.  
  
He doesn't mind that I'll get his kimono dirty with my dress.  
  
When the tears subside, he strokes my hair soothingly. "I shall help you find her. Worry not."  
  
I nod and reluctantly get of his lap, which had been warm. Goosebumps raise on my arm. He must have noticed, for he offers his tail to me, and I gratefully wrap it around me and smile at him with pure happiness. He looks at me without emotion, but I know he thinks I'm strange. I wonder why.  
  
We walk purposefully out into main, and the people look startled to see Sesshoumaru there and even more so with a human girl in tow.  
  
He looks straight ahead, and I can catch his low voice even with the crowds. "Where did you last see her?"  
  
"I don't know if I can remember. I think we passed a banana vendor on the street," I offer hopefully. I hope he doesn't get angry with me for not paying attention to where I had been going. But he seems not to notice, a mask of patience.  
  
He nods and turns decisively onto another busy street, and it's there I see them: first, the banana vendor; second, my mother waiting fretfully across the street from it; and third, an officer. My mom wails when she catches sight of me, and the officer looks at Sesshoumaru suspiciously. I cry again, hug my mom, unaware of the tail still draped casually over my shoulder. But she is not unaware, and slowly her eyes trail from the fluff on my shoulder to it's owner, and does the most surprising thing: screams.  
  
She screams, rips me away from the warm comfort of Sesshoumaru's tail, and turns her back to him, holding me, as if to SHIELD me. I do not need shielding, I try to say, he's a nice man! My mother doesn't pay attention, but I think Sesshoumaru hears my pleas. He looks straight into my eyes, which peek out over my mom's shoulder, and for the first time I see emotions course in a strong tide through his eyes. Pain, sadness, apology that I had to learn it the hard way, that you never, ever, talk to a Youkai. They're Different. His eyes plead with me to understand, to know that his intentions for me housed no ill, and I understand. As my mom carries me away, I smile and say, softly so only my mom, who's ear is next to my mouth, and Sesshoumaru, who has refined senses, can hear.  
  
"Thank you for your help, Mr. Sesshoumaru. I love you."  
  
And I always have. He was like the father I had lost before I could remember, and now, whenever I think of my parents, he is included. That was thirteen days ago. My birthday was the next day, and much to my mother's unease, I asked whether or not Mr. Sesshoumaru could be invited. She said no.  
  
But burned into my mind is his expression during my last farewell. The eyes, asking a question I didn't comprehend, his mouth, which had fallen slightly open at my words, and the crescent between his brows, creased with a thoughtful frown. And his hair, cascading down like silk to the warmth and comfort of his tail, to the ornate shoes which had heralded his coming.  
  
When the humans were overthrown by the Youkai, though, I am filled with hatred. Hatred because he KNEW and didn't tell me, hatred because I misunderstood my mother's fear, hatred because I couldn't really hate him if I wanted to. Hatred because his was the name that was associated with Japan's Takeover, along with three others that I couldn't remember. The leader. My savior.  
  
All I ever wanted for a father.  
  
Chapter One: Six Years Later.  
  
Kagome paced her quarters in the Abbey, which she currently called Home, along with the Troops that had been assigned to her. She had worked them hard over the past few months, but at least now they were passable for decent soldiers.  
  
She stretched luxuriously, and looked at herself in the cracked mirror on the opposite side of the room from her bed. Her blue-gray eyes were flat, narrowed slightly with anger at the general universe for being so disorderly. Her hair was to mid-thigh now, but when up in it's usual ponytail, it was raised almost to the bottom of her butt.  
  
The training clothes of today's session were mostly black, with a silver attachments and such. She donned black leggings, black boots that reached mid-calf and LACED, not buckled like the other boots, because buckles came loose too easily, a black tunic with slits up the sides to her waist. The tunic was sleeveless itself, but a long-sleeved black shirt easily fixed that. She had black gloves with studs in the knuckles, and her only accessory: a small cross that hung from a chain around her neck. She had had it since she was a toddler. She had shoulder-holsters with each held a gun and a dagger, a belt that held a variety of cutting implements, a picklock, and various other things that became useful when you were sneaking into a high-tech, heavily guarded fortress, and twin swords strapped to her back.  
  
She had heavy black and silver shoulder armor, which attached itself to forearm armor and armor that covered her upper back. There were also straps under her forearm armor in which daggers were placed. The upper-back armor was what the sheathes for the twin swords were attached to.  
  
She took the armor off and carefully placed it on her desk. The swords glittered, forcing her to look at them. Kagome ran a finger lightly along the edge of one, then turned abruptly away and started undressing for bed. The swords held magical properties, all of which she was unsure of, and had been given to her by her grandfather. They had demonic runes etched in the blades themselves, said to have been cast from the very Hell itself. But then again, that WAS just her grandfather speaking.  
  
Her nightclothes, in comparison, were amazingly simple. A T-shirt with "I (heart) New York!" and black sweat pants. She padded to her wash room, and the deep cold of the Abbey's stones seemed to seep into her. Ignoring it like she always did, she hammered out her nightly ritual: Brush teeth, gargle with some mint shit that was good for your enamel, take a quick, cold shower - cursing the entire length of the Abbey's lack of heated water but too tired and used to the conditions to mean it anymore - , wash her face, dry her hair, and pad back to bed while studiously ignoring the unsettling temperature.  
  
She turned off the light, flung back her covers, and literally FELL backwards onto her bed. Arms caught about her waist and a face nuzzled deep into her hair before she noticed the bed was already occupied. She groaned. The man had too much goddamned stamina.  
  
"Not tonight. I'm tired," she turned to glare crossly at her assailant.  
  
You could hear, tangibly, the pout in his voice. "You're ALWAYS too tired."  
  
"So go bed with one of the other women!"  
  
He chuckled and he nuzzled her cheek. "You know I only have eyes for you." His hands were on her bare stomach, now taut with muscles after six years of intensive training, and slowly trailed upwards to the sweet spot.  
  
Kagome grabbed his hands and held them there effortlessly, rolling her eyes. "Let's see how long THAT lasts. Out of my bed, Miroku. Maybe tomorrow."  
  
Instead, Miroku, a man with a nice chest, eyes in a constant state of lust, and shoulder-length hair caught in a ponytail at the nape of his neck, a man of MANY talents, got out from under Kagome. He lay on top of her, cradled his chin in his hands, and settled his elbows on either side of Kagome's beautiful face. His arousal pushed into her leg, and with a mental groan, she noticed he was completely naked.  
  
He tugged on the collar of her shirt playfully. "You never want to play much anymore."  
  
"What can I say? The upcoming War is making me a bit touchy."  
  
He ignored her and kissed her ear gently, persistently.  
  
Sesshoumaru hadn't aged at all in the past seven years. After a demon reaches the age of twenty or so, they stop aging almost completely, until they got old. Then they aged like a human again, until death claimed them. Sesshoumaru had been twenty for two hundred years.  
  
He was sitting at his desk, writing something down. His pen scratched along the paper with a graceful speed only a man of his age could accomplish. He sighed, looked up, his eyes wandering to the pictures on the wall of his study. Him at fifteen with five-year old InuYasha.  
  
He hadn't seen that particular hanyou for quite a while now, ever since the Youkai ran him out of their District. He hadn't cared much for the little runt, with his rude remarks and obscene gestures.  
  
A family photograph of his father, him, InuYasha, and InuYasha's mother donned the next space over. Sesshoumaru "tsked" at the memory. Since InuYasha's mother had not had Miko blood, she could not bond with InuTaisho and therefor could not live past her mortal years. She had died at seventy- two. If only she had been a Miko, she could have had a demon's life span. InuTaisho sure had some taste.  
  
Then, the final picture. This one was not a photograph, but a charcoal sketch that Sesshoumaru himself had drawn, seven years before. It was of a small girl, she was smiling while wrapped up in a long, fluffy tail. He closed his eyes as he remembered her. He had sensed her initially because she had almost full Miko blood in her veins, although her family probably didn't notice. How she sat on his lap as she cried into his kimono, how she grinned at him when he offered his tail to keep her warm, how she treated him. As if he were special, as if she didn't hate him. Now he wondered if she had even known what a Youkai was back then. How she fingered her cross when she was sad or nervous.  
  
Her promise of love as her mother ran off with her. Sesshoumaru had never been a father before, and the experience was strange to say the least. She would be in her late teens now.  
  
Sesshoumaru sighed again and prepared to go the Auction tomorrow. Naraku, Kouga, and Shippou, the former lords of the Eastern, Northern, and Southern lands but now joint rulers for all of Japan, would undoubtedly be there. It was one of the major ones, auctioning off human slaves, which had become the latest craze since a year ago, and he didn't think the hype would die down soon. Sesshoumaru wrinkled his nose with distaste. Those auctions were teeming with humans. Humans who were part of the new government and their families had special papers which gave them equal rights with the Youkai, and they were always at the auctions, protesting.  
  
Brushing his hair past his ear, Sesshoumaru decided to retire for bed.  
  
Miroku woke up to Kagome out of bed and getting dressed. He glared at her back. "Can't I just wake up next to you for once?" he asked, annoyed.  
  
Kagome started and turned. "Oh, hello. Didn't mean to wake you."  
  
Miroku propped himself up on one elbow. "Why can't you just stay in the goddamned bed until I wake up? That's what normal lovers do, you know."  
  
Kagome tapped his nose lightly and gave him a swift kiss. "We aren't 'normal lovers,' and I doubt we ever will be. Besides, I have to go. There's a major Auction going off in Old Tokyo and I'm gonna scout it out, see if any of our disappeared men had fallen into their clutches."  
  
"Fine. I'll sleep in, in the empty bed... again."  
  
Kagome finished putting on her armor and leaned across the bed to him. She cupped his cheeks and kissed him more deeply this time. "I'm sorry, love. I've got to go."  
  
Miroku sighed. "I know." He waved her away. "Go on, I'll be waiting." His carefree smile had returned, calming Kagome's guilt.  
  
"Thank you so much for understanding. I'll be back tonight!" With that, she was gone.  
  
And with her departure left Miroku's smile. He lay down on the bed again, staring at the ceiling. He didn't understand at all, but he could only hope it would get better at the end of this mess.  
  
He thought forlornly, I think I'm falling in love.  
  
Kagome checked for her weapons. Luckily for her, seeing a human carry an arsenal around with them wasn't an uncommon sight in Old Tokyo because of the crime rate, and she had fraud papers to give the authorities if one happened to nab her.  
  
Her pace was quick, and her boots made no sound as they went along the dirt path of the forest that separated the Abbey in the hills and the cities.  
  
But, lounging on a tree branch above the dirt path, InuYasha heard. She was still about a mile off, but the delicate ears picked up the steady pace.  
  
So, another soldier-boy, ne? Feh! He thought with scorn. After seeing so many disappear into the city, you'd think they'd wizen up.  
  
Suddenly, from the Abbey where they dwelled, a fire rocket burst up, and the letters arranged themselves in smoke: Safe Trip Commander Kagome!  
  
Kagome looked with disbelief at the rocket-spellings, and shook her head in aggravation.  
  
InuYasha perked up. Commander? So this guy, Kagome, was the Commander of the entire army up there? That made more sense. Possibly this man, Kagome, was retrieving his Troops. Whatever the case, he must have money. InuYasha would be sure to make sure he paid his toll when this guy passed under his tree. For maximum effect, InuYasha shut his eyes, waiting for the footsteps to stop beneath his branch before snapping them open.  
  
Kagome looked with amusement at the sleeping...hanyou, was it? It had white hair much like... "him," but no stripes or crescent. And this hanyou's facial features were more rugged and cute while "his" was manly and beautiful. When the eyes opened, however, Kagome very nearly staggered back as the memory cut through her subconscious.  
  
"I am Sesshoumaru. Where is your mother? I will help you find her. Worry not."  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Sesshoumaru. I love you."  
  
Kagome regained her wits in time to see the hanyou smirk and jump down from his perch. Kagome kept her face expressionless, her cool blue eyes scanning his own, taking in his notable surprise as he got a good look at her.  
  
InuYasha had thought... he was under the impression that... This Commander Kagome guy... it was a WOMAN? He tore his eyes away from her chest to scan her face. His eyes widened, he felt his heart drop into his stomach. InuYasha stepped back hurriedly, swallowed.  
  
Kagome's expression didn't flicker.  
  
InuYasha hesitantly stepped forward, causing Kagome to tense and ready her body for intensive combat. InuYasha slowly put a clawed hand to her cheek –  
  
"What is your name?"  
  
And cupped her cheek. Then, tears in his eyes, he fell forward in a clumsy embrace. When Kagome, shocked, made to move away, he tightened his hold and Kagome felt the warm tears soak through the front of her tunic. His hair draped over her shoulder. He began kissing her neck and collarbone in a frenzy, stroked her hair –  
  
"I shall help you find her. Worry not."  
  
And sobbed, "My love, my love, why did you leave me?"  
  
Kagome gaped at his ears. What the hell was he talking about? Maybe he spent too much time in trees. Altitude was supposed to be bad for the mind.  
  
He whispered, "My Kikyo."  
  
A misunderstanding. Gently, she pushed him away.  
  
InuYasha looked up to her eyes, a question written in his own.  
  
Gently, firmly, "I am not who you seek. I do not know this Kikyo. I do not know who you are either. I am sorry. Please unhand me."  
  
Dazed, InuYasha's arms dropped to his sides. No... no. Kikyo's eyes were a warm, rich brown. Full of love. This... Kagome's eyes were layers of ice. But...but he could smell her Miko blood! It couldn't be any other than –  
  
Kagome was definitely starting to feel creeped out when he began to sniff her. After about a minute of him smelling her, he took a good five steps back and stared blankly at her. "You aren't her."  
  
"I believe I have just told you that. Now, if you'll excuse me...." InuYasha moved quickly,  
  
seeming to materialize from where he was previously to the path she was going to take around him. He glared at her, and Kagome felt the first inklings of annoyance sparking inside of her. "What is it?" She ground out, fists clenching and unclenching underneath her studded gloves. The twin swords on her back shimmered, they seemed to wink at him.  
  
InuYasha didn't know. For once in his life, he was completely at odds with what was happening to him. Blinking back tears, he said simply, "I'm... I'm InuYasha."  
  
"Well done."  
  
InuYasha, struggling valiantly to piece together the shreds of his dignity, crossed his arms and said casually, "You look pretty weak. Maybe I should escort you through the city."  
  
She smiled, for the first time that InuYasha had seen. As if she were simply reproaching a small boy that had asked for the eleventh time if he could have a piece of candy, she said, "I don't believe that is necessary," in the same fashion as a mother would say, "Wait till after dinner."  
  
When she moved past him, her high ponytail swaying gently with the timing of her pace, he called, desperately, "I know where the Troops are. I can save you a great deal of searching."  
  
She paused mid-step.  
  
For one second InuYasha allowed himself a mental victory cry.  
  
Then she turned, anger glimmering in her stance, her eyes, her mouth. InuYasha glared back, narrowing his eyes in a challenging fashion.  
  
"If you wish to accompany me simply because I remind you of an old girlfriend, then you may forget it. I can find my way around the city just fine, I'm pretty sure I know where my Troops are, and I do not need protection of any sort. And thus far, you have been more of a hindrance than a help." With those final words, she turned on her heel and resumed her pace, her limbs slightly stiffened with rage. The muscles in her legs stretched and contracted beneath her leggings, and InuYasha bit his lip and forced himself to look away.  
  
Feh! As if I have to listen to the wishes of a mortal wench, InuYasha growled to himself. I can do whatever I please, and right now... I feel like paying a visit to the city. So there.  
  
With this in mind, he ran to catch up and fell in step with Kagome.  
  
Kagome sent him a flicker of a glance but otherwise ignored him. Annoying, yes. Stupid, yes. But what can you do? Just let the moron finish out his life span in peace, she'd lose him in the city.  
  
Kagome ground her teeth together as she ducked into an alleyway only to be joined moments later by a calm InuYasha. Throughout all the buildings, lights, crowds, she hadn't been able to shake him. Now, he was standing, crossing his arms, and looking out at the passing mainstream with a bored expression.  
  
He turned his gaze on Kagome. She was breathing somewhat harder, but he was sure it was more from anger than fatigue. Feeling rather triumphant in spite of the fact that the girl seemed to hate him now, he asked smugly, "Are you going to continue walking in circles?"  
  
He wasn't feeling quite so smug as he found himself against the cold brick, with an annoyed and obviously strong human hand threatening to cut off circulation to his windpipe.  
  
"Stop. Following. Me." Kagome dropped him and stalked from the alleyway. She merged among bustling people, mostly Youkai, and shouldered her way to where she knew the auction to be.  
  
The Youkai awaiting the auction stared eagerly at the empty stage, and some part of Kagome expected the stage to break out into song and do a little number right then and there. A group of Youkai males to the immediate left of her were counting their money, sweat gleaming from their swelled faces, fat and with a pallor from a new wonder drug they were currently taking. Shakily, they counted the paper folds over and over, somehow always messing up when they neared the end and having to start over.  
  
Kagome hid the disgust from her face and turned her gaze to the stage. It was a mockery, how they decided to hold human slave auctions in the once- prized open theaters the humans had loved so much. The sun glinted off her silver cross...  
  
...And immediately assaulted Sesshoumaru. He blinked hurriedly and shifted his position from his chair to protect himself from the glare. The heat making him slightly unreasonable, he searched the crowds for the idiot who DARED damage his eyesight, no matter how temporary or whether or not it was purposeful. His golden eyes fell on the perpetuator, a teenaged human girl with a silver cross about her neck, black armor and clothing, and weapons, though not a suspicious amount.  
  
Unwittingly, he straightened in his chair to get a better look at her. If she was human, and not being sold, then why was she not with the protest groups outside? Her eyes were fastened to the stage, her blue eyes....  
  
Suddenly, Sesshoumaru sat bolt upright. This sudden movement earned a few stares from the audience below, but the girl didn't seem to notice. All he needed was proof, proof that this was really....  
  
"Kagome!" At the male's cry, Sesshoumaru saw the annoyance and rage pass over the girl's face, and she ripped her gaze from the stage and looked over her shoulder.  
  
And InuYasha came into view. Sesshoumaru rubbed his chin. Things just seemed to get more and more interesting. Straining his ears, he managed to hone in on their conversation.  
  
"Will you stop disappearing like that? You had me worried for a second."  
  
A low growl. "Leave me alone."  
  
"If I was in your position, I wouldn't be so quick to renounce an offer of friendship."  
  
"What a coincidence that you are NOT in my position. I do not wish for friendship. Go away or I will kill you. I did not kill you in the alley because I pitied you, now GET OUT OF MY SIGHT."  
  
"...Kikyo...."  
  
There was a pole behind the two. Kagome whirled around and pinned InuYasha against it. The Youkai ignored them. Sesshoumaru watched in a trance-like fascination.  
  
"I am not Kikyo." Her voice was low, dangerous. "I have no idea who she is. I have no idea who YOU are, and if you continue this I'll be sending your soul to Hell in goddamned pieces. Do not speak to me. Do not touch me. Do not call me by anything other than my rightful name. And for your own sake, DO NOT let me see your sorry hide again."  
  
Kagome threw InuYasha a short distance and let herself melt into the crowds. Sesshoumaru felt her Miko blood, sensed it.  
  
"It appears she's not as innocent as she once was," Sesshoumaru murmured to himself.  
  
To his right, the red-haired kitsune cub bounced up and down and tugged on Sesshoumaru's hair. "Who, Sesshie-sama? Who?" Shippou asked, and repeated this antic until Naraku threatened to dispose of him in ways unimagined by the worst of souls. Kouga had fallen asleep in his chair. And Kagome had faded into the crowds, taking the glimmer of her cross with her.  
  
Sesshoumaru had never been a father. But he was one now. And he had a duty to do.  
  
With only the notice of little Shippou, Sesshoumaru rose and disappeared behind the curtain that was behind the chairs. Shippou's brow creased with concern and curiosity but he dared not follow.  
  
And Sesshoumaru soon found himself among the messy, filthy, drunken crowd, searching for a piece of memory, one forgotten dream.  
  
Author's Note! O.o Kagome sure is popular with the guys. Sesshoumaru has just convinced himself that he is Kagome's new father and therefore must perform his fatherly duty and protect her, Miroku seems to be falling in love with her (he is soon rescued from heartbreak by a beautiful demon huntress: guess who?), InuYasha following around the walking image of somebody he still holds feelings for, and next time Kouga and Hojo join the fireworks! Lordy lord lord. Happy reading, folks. Review if you want to, I'll post more chapters up regardless...! Suggestions for what happens later in the story are MOST welcome! I need all the ideas I can get! I'll try to post a new chapter, at the very least, once a week. I'll probably post more like once every two days at first, though. And please, PLEASE give me ideas for the story! I'll give you credit for any ideas I accept in the next chapter! 


	2. A Piece of Jagged Memory

Chapter 2! Woohoo, hammered this baby out pretty quickly. Okey dokey. Let us continue. For summaries, disclaimers, and ratings please look for reference on the first page. And all that other stuff. Here... we... GO!  
  
Chapter Two: A Piece of Jagged Memory  
  
Sesshoumaru pushed through the crowds, either unaware or uncaring of the whispers and stares that he left in his wake. Lifting his chin so he could see above the crowds, he scanned for black hair. Which didn't particularly help much, but there was a consistency to her hair that differed from any other.  
  
Failing miserably at the task of finding her hair, he centered his magic so as to sense her Miko blood. Ah, there. Shouldering roughly through a group of drunken Youkai, he walked briskly towards where he knew she was. He caught sight of her, being hassled by a Youkai Officer.  
  
She shifted her stance so subtly Sesshoumaru almost didn't catch it. She was preparing for combat, which was to be expected. She didn't have the papers that were needed because she was not involved with the-  
  
"Of course I have papers," she said sweetly, digging into her pocket, then showing with a flourish a license and a few crumpled papers. The cop's eyes scanned them.  
  
"These are fraud." He ripped them apart, and Kagome's eyes narrowed in alarm. "We made a new design for the licenses this past year, girl," he growled.  
  
Kagome slipped her left foot back a foot or so, ready. But instead of attacking her directly, he pressed a button on his wrist.  
  
"Shit," she whispered, and tried to disappear into the crowds again. She was cut off by a Youkai officer, flanked by a few friends. She flipped open a communicator, sending a message to Miroku. "Miroku, I'm caught. Code Blue. You know what to do." She sent it before the Youkai could knock it from her hand.  
  
As the three in front of her reached for her, she put her right foot on the middle one's chest, and, so quickly that the most drunk could only see a blur, ran her boot savagely across the three faces in one swift kick. Pushing off the middle man's chest, she flipped over mid-air and landed deftly on her feet before making a run for it. After many turns and a few good combat moves, she was circled in, completely surrounded by Officers.  
  
She ran her gaze across all her surroundings as the Youkai closed in. Right as one made a leap for her, she jumped up with more strength than a normal human possessed (she had intensive training by a very special teacher.) she grabbed hold of a light fixture coming off the pole. Dropping onto the guy's back, she dodged a few dives and kicked the absolute shit out of another.  
  
Then, suddenly, four of them dove for her at once. And succeeded in grabbing her. Pulling her wrists together sharply behind her back, another Officer yanked her hair so her neck was exposed. Holding a claw to a main vein, they led her behind the stage.  
  
Sesshoumaru was impressed by the display of obvious fighting ability. She had changed, greatly. Then the impact of what happened hit him and his eyes widened in alarm. He looked at the stage. They were going to sell her.  
  
Kagome couldn't believe they got her that easily. Had she been more prepared, she would have picked them all off easily. Now she was shackled at the wrists behind her back and attached to a burly Youkai auctioneer. Her feet were also chained together, so she could only step so far. A collar was fastened about her neck, which was accompanied by a remote with which to shock her should she turn outrageously disobedient. She closed her eyes briefly.  
  
She had never been caught before. Ever.  
  
The auction had been going on for about half an hour. Finally, the auctioneer tugged on her chain.  
  
"C'mon, Beautiful, fetch me a pretty penny, ne?" He leered at her.  
  
She spat in his face. And was rewarded with a shock. She gritted her teeth. Her instructors had done this to her before to get her used to it should something like this happen, and after about a month of that she didn't even flinch. She didn't now either, just glared at him.  
  
Glaring, he pulled her to the stage. He could unchain her now. What Kagome didn't know was that they had added a new feature to the collar, enabling it to render its wearer immobile by issuing such intense pain that even the sturdiest of slaves fell to their knees and gasped.  
  
He unchained her. She couldn't believe it. But it's just as well. If they were going to give her freedom to kick their asses, then that's their problem.  
  
"This is a pretty little firecracker we caught right there in the crowds," the auctioneer started. "She has great fighting abilities, for those of you in need of a body guard. Not a virgin, blue eyes, black hair, wonderful muscle tone. Now, pretty thing, why don't you demonstrate to these fine people what a great fighter you are?" At the invitation, a Youkai with many muscles stepped out. The crowds went wild.  
  
"Eto! Eto! ETO!" they chanted.  
  
Kagome narrowed her eyes and shifted into a fighting position. She was ready now. She was half-crouched, leaning on her back leg with her foreleg stretched out a bit. One arm was in front of her in defensive position and the other slightly behind her for balance and to strike with speed.  
  
Nobody expected her to make the first move, least of all Eto. She was in front of him in the air suddenly, punched his face from side to side, and, not touching the ground since her initial leap, she swung her leg and kicked him with such force he almost stumbled off the stage. Kagome dropped quickly and swung her leg to trip him. He tripped.  
  
Falling back into her position a few feet away, Kagome readied herself. She had only done so much damage because he hadn't expected it.  
  
The crowd watched, rapt.  
  
Slowly Eto stood, red with anger. He came at her with astonishing speed, but Kagome was quicker, both in eyesight and body. When she ceased to be there, Eto stumbled forward when he tried to stop. It takes twice as much energy to swing and miss than to hit. As he was stumbling, Kagome materialized behind him and kicked him at the back of the neck, both knocking him out and sending him off the stage. (she did not really materialize, she's just quick.)  
  
Kagome turned to the auctioneer. Right when she landed a kick to his stomach, he staggered back and hit the purple button, holding the remote so the button could be seen by the audience as he pressed it. Kagome dropped to one knee and struggled to maintain balance.  
  
Standing, the auctioneer continued, "Only the purple button will effect her, she's so strong. The red one is useless! Great body guard, folks! The bidding will start at, oh, say, 21,000 Emani?"  
  
There was a faint whisper among the crowd. You could get up to three fairly decent slaves with that much money. And one who was so headstrong would be a hassle to keep.  
  
"I bid 21,000 Emani!" a voice called out.  
  
The auctioneer snapped his fingers and called out, "We got 21,000! Do I hear 21,000 Emani Seventy Zamu? There we go? Do I hear 22,000? We have 40,000! 40,000 going once, twice OH! 65,000!" A dark figure from the back stood. Kagome couldn't make out his face.  
  
"500,000 Emani," he said. He didn't have to raise his voice, for upon his rising the audience had fallen deathly silent. Three other dark figures in the back turned as if to stare at him.  
  
The auctioneer caught his breath. "Going once, twice... Sold. To our Lord."  
  
Kagome felt her heart sink. Somehow, it hadn't seemed real until she had actually been purchased. She lowered her head and felt a single tear emerge from her eyelashes and splatter on the hard wood of the stage. She would wait, bide her time. Escape.  
  
"We are required to break her in before sending her to your home, m'Lord." The auctioneer bowed low. Beside him, Kagome seemed to be having trouble breathing.  
  
The figure sat. "Hm. Yes, of course. I want her immediately afterwards."  
  
"Yes, m'Lord."  
  
Backstage, Kagome was left alone, chained to a wall. After the latest auction started up, she dug through her utility belt.  
  
After getting that wretched collar off about twenty minutes later, Kagome started towards the nearest building. She walked about it until she reached an escape ladder.  
  
Here we go, she thought, gymnastics all over again. She leapt up, barely managing to grab ahold of the bottom rung with her gloves. Grunting slightly, she hoisted herself up and put a knee on the rung. Having the obstacle over and done with, the climb to the top was easy.  
  
She clicked open her wrist unit. "Commander Kagome here. I'm out and free. On my way home, over and out." She snapped it shut, then ran, jumping from building to building until she reached the edge of the forest.  
  
She set up the path at a slower pace than had been set that morning, a relieved pace. What she would give for some decent company right now... she sighed and stretched, putting her hands behind her head and keeping them there as she walked.  
  
A blur of red jumped from the trees above and landed directly in front of her.  
  
Unable to keep ahold of herself, Kagome dropped her hands and staggered back, both of them automatically reaching for the daggers strapped about her forearms. She growled with recognition and grabbed her swords. Holding them in front of her in and X position, she set her shoulders and spoke in a deadly calm voice.  
  
"Do not come near me, you horrid thing. I will slice your skull open like a cantaloupe."  
  
InuYasha managed to look mildly offended in spite of his good spirits. "Thing? That wasn't very nice. And if you had been nicer to me this morning, maybe I might've helped you out there."  
  
"As you can see, I didn't need your help. Now get out of my way." Sheathing her swords, she pushed him roughly from her path and started up the mountain. He followed her at a good pace, eventually catching up and falling into step with her.  
  
"It was embarrassing to see you up there, being paraded about the stage like a slut. Were you terribly embarrassed?" He asked, hoping his words would bite her. They did.  
  
She turned on her heel to face him, her eyes flaming with the promise to make his death a nice, slow one. "Look, you half-welp, I'm getting awfully tired of your rude remarks. A simple X-motion with my swords and your head will be gone. But I'm feeling more creative tonight. How about poison- dipped daggers? Or..."  
  
She was cut short by the sound of marching further up on the path. She stared up it in disbelief.  
  
A band of Troops, headed by Miroku, were slowly making their way down the mountain. Miroku jumped off his horse and ran to Kagome. "Kagome! Kagome, you're alright! Are you hurt? What happened?"  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes as he embraced her. "I told you on the wrist unit that I was fine, Miroku. What's with the Search Party?"  
  
Miroku looked offended. "I thought you might like a ride up the mountain, is all! I brought Hohori." He gestured towards a tall black stallion, who flared his nostrils and bit at the unfortunate person handling it. Kagome's horse.  
  
Kagome smiled softly at Hohori. "Thanks, Miroku." She patted him on the shoulder and mounted her stallion, who quieted immediately at her touch and nickered softly at her knee, turning his elegant head so that his neck arched beautifully.  
  
Kagome patted Hohori's fetlock lovingly. "I'm okay, Sweets. Let's go home." She nudged her horse, which turned and started up the mountain.  
  
Miroku sighed. "Sometimes I think she loves the horse more than me," he muttered.  
  
InuYasha chose this time to make his presence known. "She loves you?"  
  
Miroku started and whirled about. "Oh. A hanyou? I didn't know they existed...." Miroku looked forlornly at the stallion's glossy tail, which matched its riders hair. "No, I'm not sure she loves me at all." He sighed and mounted his buckskin mare. He looked at InuYasha inquiringly. "Do you need food or lodgings?"  
  
InuYasha almost snorted. He didn't need either, but he did need to see Kagome again. He swallowed his pride and nodded.  
  
Miroku offered him a spare horse cheerfully. "So how do you know Kagome?"  
  
Kagome sank into the bath gratefully, unaware of amber eyes watching her through the balcony. The door to the bathroom was open, and the man on the balcony stared as she sighed and stretched.  
  
Sesshoumaru was, at the least, unsatisfied as a client of the unfortunate auctioneer. News came just shortly after the purchase that Kagome had escaped, leaving the collar and an overturned water barrel as souvenirs.  
  
Sesshoumaru sat quietly in his study and stared blankly at the charcoal drawing. After being thoroughly questioned by the other leaders of Japan, he was exhausted. And, in a way, sad. He had been looking forward to seeing her again, having her smile at him so happily.  
  
But I don't think she will... will she? Sesshoumaru thought forlornly. Her innocence... there's no longer a trace of it. She has grown up wonderfully, but without a smile.  
  
He wondered what had happened to her to make her so.  
  
A knock sounded at the door. Sesshoumaru started as his dilated pupils returned to normal. He cleared his throat and sat up a bit straighter in his chair.  
  
"Come in," he said in a dignified manner.  
  
The door opened and the child kitsune, Shippou, poked his head in peevishly. "Guess what, Sesshy?" he crowed.  
  
"Do not call me that."  
  
Shippou ignored him and continued on cheerfully. "Y'know that slave you bought today?"  
  
Sesshoumaru felt the blood in his veins pick up the pace a bit, but he swallowed nonchalantly and pretended to return most of his attention to the paperwork on his desk. "I recall, yes."  
  
Shippou hopped in completely, slamming the door and causing Sesshoumaru to wince and shoot him and irritated glare. "Well, it turns out that she is one of the two Commanders of the leading Human Forces! Didja know that?"  
  
Shocked, Sesshoumaru leaned back slightly in his chair and regarded the kitsune as Shippou basked in the glow of having the great Lord's full attention. "Really," the dog demon murmured thoughtfully.  
  
"Yep! A few of the Youkai Police saw her escape to the forest in front of the mountain. They investigated and found a well-hidden dirt path. We think that it leads up to where the Forces are training, high up on the mountain in a long-forgotten human Abbey!" Shippou looked highly excited. "This is the famed Human Forces we've been hearing about! The ones that some say will be our downfall! The few men we captured from that area have confessed completely." Shippou slid his gaze slyly over to Sesshoumaru. "It seems that your little slave is one of the leading human commanders in the world, and is the sole intensive trainer of the troops. The other Commander, a male called Miroku-" Sesshoumaru remembered that, from when Kagome had yelled into her communicator "-specializes more specifically in breaking into heavily-guarded areas and spy-work.  
  
"We have Youkai troops waiting for your command, Sesshy! All we need is the go-ahead, and those humans are squashed!" Shippou finished triumphantly, oblivious to the disquiet that had settled over the elder Lord.  
  
Sesshoumaru gazed at the charcoal drawing again. "I will... I will think on it."  
  
Shippou, expecting praise rather than a thoughtful dismissal, sighed and moped his way back to the corridor, shutting the door quietly.  
  
To his dismay, Sesshoumaru was a slave to his eyes as they inevitably led them back to the charcoal picture of the enchanting little girl with a smile in her eyes.  
  
Finally saturated with water, Kagome yawned and stretched not unlike a cat, then got out of the tub. As she leaned over to get the towel from the floor, a strong pair of arms circled her waist and a face nuzzled itself affectionately into her hair. Kagome groaned.  
  
"Miroku! I've just barely gotten over that stupid ordeal at the cit---"  
  
She was cut off by a strangled choking sound, somewhat like crying, and the face said, muffled, "Kikyo..."  
  
Kagome felt her insides freeze completely, and she whirled, the towel clutched protectively over her chest. And she did something that she never did---she considered it childish and immature---she screamed. She screamed bloody murder.  
  
Feeling around, her hand closed around a soap bar, and she hurled it at InuYasha. His eyes had turned red where the white should have been, his mouth parted slightly. The soap hit him, but he kept moving forward. Feeling like she was drowning, Kagome shrieked, with every ounce of energy she had,  
  
"MIROKUUUUU!!!" The cry itself was so anguished, so full of fear, that a few men in the dining hall actually froze, silenced. They knew to whom the voice belonged, but did not believe it.  
  
A chair clattered to the floor, overturned in haste, and Miroku disappeared at bullet speed out of the hall.  
  
He turned swiftly to avoid colliding with the wall opposite, slid to his knees, and scrambled up again. He heard again the gut-wrenching scream... the terror echoed along the halls, made the shadows grow and swallow up his sight. The gargoyles looked at him beseechingly and mockingly at the same time; both hoping he would get there in time and glad for the despair that fed them life.  
  
Miroku raced up the stairs, only torches lighting them, and he cursed at Kagome's choice of the highest room in the Abbey. The flames of the torches waved drastically and flickered, irritated, as he rushed past. Every step was seeping him of his strength, and he could not run fast enough. He wouldn't make it, he wouldn't make it... dear God, what was happening to her?  
  
He felt so tired. Her voice sounded again, raised to a banshee's chorus, a desperate, tear-choked cry of his name.  
  
His eyes filled with the promise of tears, he couldn't help, he ran faster. "Kagome!" He choked out, cherub carvings sending him pitying looks as he raced, seemingly, for his life.  
  
Finally, the steps ended. Part of him knew that the steps weren't long at all, and that he had only spent, at the most, thirty to forty seconds climbing them, but already they seemed like a distant memory, and he couldn't even remember what he had for dinner.  
  
He shouldered the door open just as another screech echoed around the room. It came from the bathroom. He slid on a bar of soap and stopped in the doorway.  
  
Kagome huddled, naked, the towel in shreds and cuts on her shoulders and collar bone, at the far end of the bathroom, and the newcomer InuYasha advanced on her. He was stripped to the waist, his movements stalking.  
  
Miroku released and unintelligible cry of rage and flew at the hanyou, startled to see that InuYasha's eyes were a bright, glowing red. His fist connected straight and true, and InuYasha flew into the bathtub, cracking it. Water spilled out and onto the floor.  
  
The hanyou seemed to have lost consciousness, and he bled from the scalp where he had hit the wall.  
  
Breathing hard, tears slipping down his cheeks, Miroku kneeled next to the screaming, cowering Kagome and cradled her in his arms. She leaned fully against him, babbling, her words streaming in with one another. She was shaking.  
  
Miroku stroked her hair. "Shh... shh... it's over, love. It's done," he whispered lowly, his voice slightly raspy from the bile that had risen and fell in his throat at the first scream he had heard.  
  
He had never seen her like this; so broken, so terrified, trembling violently and unable to speak comprehensively. It tore at an area below his ribcage, and his stomach dropped to his knees.  
  
Her hands groped, as if she didn't quite believe he was there. They touched, slid, all over his chest and face, making sure it was him and he was fully there. "Miroku, Miroku, he came at me, in the bath. He came and said I was Kikyo and I'm not Kikyo and he was going to rape me, he kept touching me. He scratched me, he touched me, he said... he said..." Kagome's voice choked and she tucked her head into the crook of his neck, hunching her shoulders protectively. She sobbed, "Miroku..."  
  
Rage boiled inside of him. She had been untouched only three months before-- -all she had ever had was him. She didn't know... she was as good as innocent, almost. He suddenly hated this hanyou with every fiber of his being.  
  
"Mir-Miroku... I can't be up here anymore. I can't. I can't, don't make me," she choked into his neck.  
  
He remembered when he had first gotten here, a month after she did, seven months earlier. They had fought over this room and she had won, as only a woman could. She had refused to share a room with him, even though everyone knew that they were together. "Of course not, you can do whatever you like, my love, my sweet. Don't worry." His voice calmed her visibly.  
  
"Can... can I sleep in your room tonight, Miroku? Please?"  
  
Miroku laid his cheek on her head, hugging him to her tightly. "Of course. Let's get you dressed, okay?"  
  
Kagome nodded and stood shakily, but with Miroku's help, and collected a few belongings and Miroku carried her bride-style to his room, where all the troops crowded in the hallway to hear about what happened.  
  
Miroku said curtly, "Kagome was attacked sexually in her quarters. Tian, Dirapo, will you please go up to Lady Kagome's room and escort the hanyou out?"  
  
The two soldiers nodded, eyes darkening perceptibly with untamed anger. All the troops held affection for their leaders, even when training with Kagome became brutal, because no matter what she was the nicest, kindest person other than Miroku that they had ever known. They were terribly protective of her, both verbally and physically, when guests came to the Abbey to critique her work.  
  
"We're on it, sir," Dirapo nodded jerkily and walked up the steps with his hand on his hilt.  
  
Tian paused next to Kagome and looked at her sadly, as she slept fitfully in Miroku's arms. The T-shirt she wore to bed had come down over one shoulder and the claw marks were visible. Tian hurried up the stairs after Dirapo.  
  
InuYasha awoke in... a bathtub?  
  
He struggled for consciousness, trying to remember what had happened. He had been on the balcony, had had plans to talk to Kagome a bit. He had watched her in the bath, and felt something he had not felt in some time: Lust.  
  
Suddenly, out of the void of no memory, came bits and pieces. He had gone crazy, his demon side erupting upon seeing her naked. He had scratched her, ripped her towel, promised to fuck her until her insides were raw...  
  
Remembering the things he said made him sick to his stomach. He had smelled her fear and had been excited by it. Oh, God. Oh dear God. Kagome... How could he to... Kagome... FUCK.  
  
Guilt ripped at his insides, and anguished despair washed over him as he realized that Kagome had been saved from him by Miroku. She must hate him now. As is to be expected. InuYasha certainly hated himself.  
  
Two men stepped into the bathroom. One drew his sword and pointed it at InuYasha.  
  
"You, filth," he said, almost amicably, "Deserve to die a horrible, slow, agony-filled death."  
  
The other had tears in his eyes, looking into memory. "I saw her scratches-- -they bleed. She tosses in her sleep. That's the first time I've ever seen her cry." He turned his teary, hating gaze at InuYasha. "I hate you."  
  
The first one that spoke, swiped his sword back and forth, leaving the hanyou with a long, bleeding line on each cheek, deep enough to scar permanently. "We are not allowed to kill you. We are only to escort your slimy ass out of the castle. Get up. Now."  
  
Kagome clutched at Miroku all through that night, nightmarish terrors making her scream and cry. Miroku could only shut his eyes helplessly, hold his tears at bay. He was glad, in a selfish way, that he did not know what happened to her in her dreams as she slept.  
  
He never wanted to know what happened in the wasteland of Kagome's sleep, where terror and fear resided and lurked, where pain was waiting around every corner. Despair tore at her eyelids; stark terror made marks in his shoulders where her fingernails dug in.  
  
She lay thrashing in the throes of a nightmare that she would not escape for a long, long time. Even in the haven of the sunlight, she was forced to see her almost-rape every time the blackness encased her during the eternity of every blink.  
  
And, for the first time in her life, she had memories of amber eyes and white waterfalls of hair, silky soft, but the eyes were lusty and hurting, not kind and gently. The hair turned coarse like the inside of her mouth, bone-dry. The claws, once so gentle in the bowels of her mind, tore at her towel and dug deep into her skin, ripping, tearing, hurting, pain.  
  
Author's Note: Oh my God... I didn't see THAT coming, didn't know it was happening till I wrote it. Freaky. InuYasha is not a dream any more. But what happens when Sesshoumaru takes back what he bought? I know Hojo and Kouga were supposed to come in, but they didn't, so they will at some point. I dunno. Happy Reading! 


	3. Dreaming of You

Yeah-uh! I'm so good! Chapter three, baby!  
  
Chapter Three: Dreaming of You  
  
"Where's your mother?" a kindly voice asked her, and she tried, tried to run to the voice, into his arms. "I will help you find her, worry not."  
  
"Father!" she cried, her wail echoing around in her ribcage. She was going insane. Her sanity was a pinch of sand on her open eyelids... if she closed her eyes or blinked, some would fall away. She felt so helpless, for who could keep their eyes open forever?  
  
She felt clawed hands cup her cheeks, and almost cried in relief. She was lifted up and away, into the perfect, starry night, held up by love. Kagome flew for the first time in her dreams, soaring and dipping through the clouds, smiling against the rush of wind against her face. Sighing blissfully, she rolled over in her flight.  
  
And fell. Her smile faded into a long-fading scream that crawled up her spine, clutching at footholds so it could escape from her diaphragm. She felt the clawed hands on her face again and smiled. He was here to save her.  
  
The claws dug into her, and though she could feel not the pain, panic edged into her mind from all corners, covering her vision like static on a television. "No!" The stripes fell of the face, landing in a pool of water below her, where they floated away. It turned into InuYasha.  
  
He laughed cruelly, digging a claw into her belly, dragging it downwards to her navel, then down more to her womanhood. She squirmed, but felt that she could not move her arms, for they were pinned down.  
  
She was a frog, pinned spread-eagle to a dissecting board. Razor claws sliced through her as if through butter, and she felt her insides give way to a heavy burden as InuYasha crawled inside of her, laughing all the while. He smiled at her childishly, his eyes alight with joy and innocence, then closed the stomach over him.  
  
Her belly bulged with the unaccustomed bulk.  
  
"No! Sesshoumaru, no! No!" But her cries were lost.  
  
"Shippou, I have called you here for a reason. Stop that!" Sesshoumaru snapped uncharacteristically, stilling Shippou's fiddling hands with a sharp gesture.  
  
Looking at him wide-eyed, Shippou put his toy down to give the dog demon his full attention.  
  
Calming himself with a few practiced breathing exercises, Sesshoumaru turned to Shippou. "I want you to prepare an army to attack the base."  
  
"All right!" Shippou yelled enthusiastically. "I'll go now!"  
  
"Wait, kit," Sesshoumaru said wearily, grabbing Shippou by the collar before he could fly out the door. "We're taking prisoners. A... The woman I bought yesterday." He made his voice harder, more uncaring. "She's mine by right. I demand her. And the monk, too. He could be valuable for questioning later. The troops themselves... kill any that give you trouble, but be sure not to kill all of them, because I want to know the extent of their training. Capture a specimen of both weakness and strength, flexibility and speed, everything. I want to know the extent of ALL the training."  
  
He ignored the kitsune's puzzled look and waved Shippou away.  
  
"Alright, Sesshie-sama... it's your call, after all. I'll go tell warriors." With that, he scampered away, his red ponytail bobbing about wildly.  
  
Sesshoumaru crossed the room in a few strides, stopping in front of the row of pictures. He walked past them, to the last one, the charcoal sketch... "Soon," he told it. "Soon."  
  
Of course, he had to train her in proper manners and marry her off to someone -- it's only proper to do so for a young lady, luckily enough she was of marriageable age. And then, of course, visit her every once in a while to see how her children are coming along.  
  
So much to do... he was relieved to have a pet project to keep him company during this long, boring period.  
  
His hand stilled as he realized it was reaching for the picture. He brought it down to his side again. 'I must marry soon, too. To show the public my stability, since none of the other four lords are marrying any time soon. To train my son to follow after my ways. But I can't find the right demoness! They're all wrong, all wrong.'  
  
Golden eyes sought the picture, and his thoughts started down a venue he was scared to travel. 'No! Never! A human... unthinkable...' But, once again, his eyes sought the drawing. 'I never imagined she would get that pretty.'  
  
He shook himself roughly from his reverie and, since he was alone, allowed himself a small frown. "It does not matter," he told the charcoal portrait aloud, getting courage from hearing his strong, unwavering voice. The index finger of his hand stretched upwards, and before he knew it he was outlining the line of her cheek with a claw. "It does not matter," he murmured.  
  
In vain, he tried to focus on good, fatherly feelings. They simply wouldn't come. The affection was there, yes, but suddenly she was a teenager, in the highlight of her life. How could he possibly hold fatherly feelings for a girl he had met but once, had never raised?  
  
Besides... it seemed she simply wasn't the same girl anymore. 'I wonder if she remembers me.'  
  
'Sesshoumaru!' Kagome thought as she screamed herself awake. She reached for Miroku, but he was gone; to eat, presumably. Her eyelashes vanished as she squeezed her eyes as tight as they would go, shutting out the light streaming in through the window.  
  
Yelling faintly, she hopped out of bed and ran across the room to the window, her bare feet making clapping sounds as they made contact with the stone. Slamming the shutters closed, she breathed deep.  
  
"Kagome?"  
  
Suddenly she was facing the other way... she didn't register even turning, but somehow she knew she must have. She relaxed when she saw him. "Miroku."  
  
His violet eyes were troubled, full of guilt. He wasn't as sure of himself anymore. "Are you feeling alright?" he ventured timidly, stepping towards her slowly so as not to alarm her.  
  
For God's sake, she wasn't a bloody deer. She wouldn't run off at the slightest move. "I'm fine, thank..." she choked on the word 'you,' as she remembered she was also thanking him for saving her life. "Thank you," she managed, then let the tears come as she felt his strong arms around her at once.  
  
She leaned into him desperately, needing the contact of another human, a man she trusted. "Where is he?"  
  
His grip tightened at the mention of 'he,' namely InuYasha. "We escorted him off the grounds," he said gruffly, in a way that firmly shut the door on that conversation.  
  
She allowed him to coax her to the bed, where he had lain food. When he tried to spoon it into her, she gave him a frustrated glare and he shrugged with a wry grin.  
  
"Very well, very well, you can feed yourself."  
  
"I'm not an invalid, you know."  
  
"I know, I know!"  
  
She glared suspiciously at him and shoveled a spoonful of rice into her mouth. Relaxing quickly, Kagome finished her meal and reluctantly agreed to stay in the rooms, relaxing, for the rest of the day. She didn't particularly want to confront the men downstairs, but she was loathe to stay in the tiny room for too long.  
  
"I'm going to train the troops personally today." Miroku leaned in to kiss her forehead, then looked at her for a long time, still leaning over her. Finally, he murmured, "Love you," and quickly left.  
  
Kagome's mouth fell open slightly. "Love you." Just like that. She dug under the covers, pulling the blankets up to her chin as she looked at the wall of the room.  
  
He couldn't possibly. She liked him well enough, and he was a great friend and a good partner, but...  
  
Love?  
  
Kagome jerked awake, then wondered what could possibly have woken her up. Suddenly, she heard it; the loud ring of metal hitting metal. Quickly, she sat up, her chest heaving. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, her feet quickly found boots next to the bed. Apparently Miroku knew she'd want to get a good walk-about later.  
  
Still donning Miroku's shirt and leggings that cut off mid-calf, she poked her head about the door, letting her eyes roam about the corridor before letting the rest of her body follow suit. The clanks and such sounds were coming from downstairs, and now that she was out of her room, she could hear yelling.  
  
Curse those thick doors, she screamed mentally, then leapt into her room to find her combat gear. She slammed most of it on in well-practiced movements, although it wasn't as well put together as usual. Finding her weapons laid out carefully on a tabletop, Kagome made quick work of putting them in sheathes and holsters.  
  
Creeping out of her room, she noticed with a visible grimace that the shouting had become much less prominent. Men were dying; to whom they belonged, she didn't know.  
  
She ran down the stairs with her guns out of their shoulder holsters, held in front of her and her fingers ready to go off at a moment's notice. The stairs led to the common room.  
  
It was a mess. Blood bathed everything within sight, in splatters or completely. Men, mostly hers, lay scattered about as what was obviously the new carpeting. A few Youkai lay amongst them.  
  
'Shit! Youkai...!' she thought, her mind becoming the clean, hard edge it usually became when confronted with a battle.  
  
At that very minute, a Youkai noticed her and flew at her with his sword out wide and his tongue hanging out disgustingly. Shooting him in the head, he blew back far enough not to land on his feet, and swaggered up, earning a few more shots to the head.  
  
When half of it was blown away, he finally fell, dead.  
  
She shot a few more, only wounding them, before she ran out of bullets. Swearing, she remembered she had left the extra bullets upstairs, in Miroku's room. The blades on her back called to her, singing strongly, it seemed, and she reached for them. When they were in her hands, they quieted and took on a serious demeanor.  
  
'Be serious, Kagome... since when do swords have personalities?' And she sliced a Youkai in half.  
  
Badly outnumbered due to the loss of men, Kagome was soon fighting one to ten. She brought both swords up close to her face and body, prepared to move. The ten Youkai circling her merely watched her viciously, maniacally. One raised it's sword, and the other followed suit.  
  
Kagome narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists down tighter on the handles of her swords.  
  
"Halt!"  
  
The Youkai stopped and backed away a good ten feet to avoid them getting struck down for their lack of movement. Between them stepped the tiniest goddamn Youkai she had ever seen in her entire life.  
  
Momentarily shocked into silence, she stared at it.  
  
It scrutinized her with clear green eyes. That was all she could see of its face, for it had covered the rest with a half-mask. It nodded. "Yeah, that's the one. Take her to the other prisoners."  
  
The Youkai sheathed their swords with more than a few grumbles, then advanced on her as one. Slowly, at a few barked orders, other Youkai dropped their battles and helped.  
  
Panicked, she swung out at them viciously, spinning around so none could sneak up on her.  
  
In vain. Something hard hit her in the head, and black swirled in as she dropped to the floor, her swords clattering beside her.  
  
Sesshoumaru stared idly at her weapons, before reaching out to try the swords again. They resonated with an angry hum when his hand got near them, so he pulled back before he got shocked again. Bored with these, he fingered the armor she had worn. Solid, lightweight for it's size, strong. Nice armor.  
  
Finally, he let his gaze return where it ached to be; the girl herself. Nurses had patched up her head and the long sword-cut on her side, and her Miko abilities were busying themselves with more healing as she slept.  
  
Sitting on her bed, he brushed some hair out of her face. She didn't move, just kept on sleeping.  
  
The girl he once knew had grown up to really be quite pretty, he knew. And she was strong. Fast. But because of her newfound strengths, she had lost her innocence, which he had once found so deeply endearing.  
  
But oh well. He would simply wait for her to wake, and then push her into Youkai society. Where hopefully she would flourish... her Miko blood allowed for her to mate lifelong with a Youkai, so happiness could be sought here.  
  
He just hoped she wouldn't feel a subconscious need to kill Youkai because of her latest employment.  
  
Kagome felt the darkness recede, and where it fell away, something new replaced it; pain. Gods, her head hurt. She struggled to make her eyelids open, but deep inside she knew she had to wait for the darkness to go fully.  
  
A claw gently swiped away some hair on her cheek, and inwardly, she panicked. InuYasha!  
  
Outwardly, she still couldn't move.  
  
Finally, enough of the dark had gone and she opened her eyes. The light that fell and reflected about the room increased her headache, and she squinted around. Standing above her was a tall man, with white... hair and... golden... eyes.  
  
She screamed, then backed against the wall. "InuYasha! Don't!" She brought her hands to her face protectively.  
  
The man seemed momentarily surprised, then leaned forward to catch her wrist. His voice was hard. "What did InuYasha do to you?"  
  
Kagome did another thing she thought weak. She stared. Her mouth was open and everything. It wasn't InuYasha, and now all she could think about was how obvious it was that this was a different man. Calming herself, she gathered her bearings and looked about to memorize every detail of the room. "Oh... I'm sorry, I mistook you for someone else."  
  
"Kagome. Look at me." The command was enough to raise her ire. The affectionate tone really put her on edge.  
  
"How do you know my--" stopped mid-sentence, Kagome gazed at the man. Light from the window glanced off in his eyes, casting a golden glare into her own. His stripes were the same. Everything. Exactly the same.  
  
'I must be dreaming. Goddamnit. I thought I woke up that time.'  
  
All the same, his name slipped out of her lips. "Mr. Sesshou...maru..."  
  
"You do remember me. Good."  
  
She grabbed for his hand, then clutched it. It was real. She pinched herself.  
  
At that he blinked, then laughed. 'Delightful, she thinks she's dreaming. Am I in her dreams often, then?' he thought, much amused. Aloud, "I will have my servants prepare you."  
  
"Prepare me for what?"  
  
"Dinner, of course."  
  
A/N Woooo, I'm getting a headache from staring at this computer so longggg. Must... keep... sanity. Ouch. Anyway, happy reading, hope you enjoyed the latest installment. 


End file.
